Paula Bosco Damon is a national award-winning syndicated columnist.Her whimsical non-fiction stories breathe life into mundane day-to-day experiences as she deconstructs life’s complex life-altering moments into a language and narrative with universal appeal. Her style has been described as thought-provoking, spiritual and entertaining.
To contact the writer, comment on this blog, email her at boscodamonpaula@gmail, and find her on Facebook.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine

I read that 40 percent to 45 percent of American adults make one or more New Year’s resolutions each year.

Among the top resolutions are losing weight, increasing exercise and quitting smoking. Next in line are better money management and debt reduction.

Even if people swear on a stack of Bibles that they will stick to their resolutions, their resolve seems to be short-lived.

I did some research on this and according to one study, 75 percent keep their resolutions after the first week, 71 percent after two weeks, 64 percent after one month and only 46 percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions are hanging in there after six months. Eventually, only 7 percent of all resolutions are ever kept.

Television advertisers are most certainly tapping into this apparent soft spot in the American psyche. If I see one more weight loss ad or stop smoking commercial, I am liable to start binge eating or, worse yet, light up.

Am I the only one who thinks making New Year’s resolutions and keeping them has lost its luster?

I remember a time when making resolutions on New Year’s Eve was a central and important year-end tradition. Do you remember the thought and care we used put into it?

I’ve made resolutions to be a better person, to spend more time with my husband and to do a better job of dusting my house.

Unfortunately, part of the problem is that too many New Year’s resolutions do not involve full disclosure. Most of the time, they are kept in a shroud of secrecy, making it easier to slip up.

Another problem when making New Year’s resolutions is that there is no plan or support system to help us tow the line and to hold us accountable.

Nowadays, I just think about what it is I want to improve, stop or start doing and hope for the best.

Once in awhile, I reveal my resolution and then I'm stuck. I have to either to keep it or spend the whole year making excuses for why I failed to keep it.

What is it about this age-old tradition that has fallen by the wayside in our disposable age, where "short-term" is the end of the week and "long-term" means the end of the month?

I am looking for a few sojourners in that 7 percent who have made and kept New Year’s resolutions. Just to know that resolutions aren’t empty promises gives rise to hope and promise.

When it comes right down to it, we probably have more control over our lives than we are willing to admit. Just think how much better the world would be if more people kept their New Year’s resolutions.

People would be healthier and happier. They would be less agitated and more peaceful. At least, I'd like to think so anyway.

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About Me

Paula Bosco Damon is an award-winning writer whose works have won numerous honors, including First-Place in National Federation of Press Women, South Dakota Press Women and Iowa Press Women writing competitions.
In the 2009, 2010 and 2011 South Dakota Press Women Communications Contests, Paula has earned eight first-place awards.
In 2011, the writer was ranked third among columnists nationwide for her creative non-fiction in the National Federation of Press Women Communication Contest.
Her stories breathe life into mundane day-to-day experiences and skillfully deconstructs some of the most complex life-altering moments into a language and narrative with universal appeal. Her work has been described as thought-provoking, whimsical, comical, lyrical and entertaining.
Paula writes a weekly column for the Vermillion Plain Talk and the Carroll Times Herald titled "My Story. Your Story."
A popular keynote speaker, she has conducted readings of her work to audiences in New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Correspond with the writer at boscodamonpaula@gmail.